Follow us

Search KidSpot

The truth about eating green

Walk into any supermarket today and you’ll be bombarded with enough fresh-food promises to make your head spin! Everything seems to be either free range, organic or hormone free. But is all this "greener" food actually better for our families than conventionally grown and manufactured produce? Megan Alsford, an accredited practising dietitian with Nutrition Australia, helps separate fact from fiction so you can choose the food that’s right for your family.

What do all the labels mean?

With environmental awareness growing, and more people interested in ethical and healthy eating, the range of food we can choose from is enormous. Alsford says the terms "organic", "free-range" and "hormone-free" all explain how the food is grown or produced.

Organic

“Organic foods are those grown without the use of chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilisers”, says Alsford. Instead, these foods are grown with the help of natural substances. In Australia, there is not one nationally recognised symbol to mark organic foods, but many different ones. To be sure you are getting authentic organic produce, Alsford recommends looking for foods that have been stamped organic by an industry-recognised body. The Organic Federation of Australia has a list of these certified bodies.

Free-range

“Free-range foods refer to the way animals are housed and means that the animals have access to the outdoors,” says Alsford. Again, in Australia there is not a nationally recognised definition of what free-range means, so not all free-range animals will have spent the same amount of time outdoors. If you are buying free-range, try to purchase products that sport an RSPCA-certified stamp.

Hormone-free

“Hormone-free refers to animals that have not had any human growth promotants used to speed up their growth”, says Alsford. HGPs have been used in Australia for more than 30 years, and while the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority assures us that these hormones are totally safe for human consumption, many food companies are now producing hormone-free products that are becoming increasingly popular with consumers.

Organic does not always equal healthy

Now that we know what all these terms mean, it is important to be aware that “organic and natural doesn’t always translate to healthy”, Alsford says. We need to be label-smart and look beyond the claims and promises. “Always read the nutrition information on the back of the products to find out the whole picture,” she says. Just because a product is natural or organic does not mean it is healthy for you - it can still contain unhealthy amounts of sugar, salt or fat.

Can you afford to eat green?

Aside from being label-smart, it also pays to be smart with your money. Eating green can put a massive strain on your food budget, as the cost of this produce can be far greater than eating conventionally grown and manufactured foods. The bottom line, says Alford, is to buy what you can afford. “As a dietitian, I would prefer families have a wide variety of conventionally grown produce, than only a small amount of organic”, she says. But, if you are keen to ensure the food on your table is green, here are Alsford’s tips to help your shopping dollar go further:

Try buying green produce at your local farmer’s market at closing time – you might snare a good bargain.

Bulk buy green produce with other families and share it out.

Buy only in-season organic fruit and vegetables, as this will keep the cost down.

Write a shopping list and buy only what you need - wastage costs more money than you realise.

The choice is yours

When trying to buy healthy food for your family, the most important thing from a nutritional perspective is to fill your trolley with “fresh foods from each of the five food groups, such as fresh veggies and fruit , milk, yoghurt, lean meats, grains and legumes”, says Alford. Whether you buy food that is organic, free-range and hormone-free, or food that is conventionally grown and prepared, the most important thing is to ensure your family’s diet is well-balanced. “You can get all the nutrients you need from both organic foods and conventionally grown foods”, she says.